Over the next two weeks, some of Iowa’s top shooting sports athletes, ranging in age from middle school to collegiate level, will participate in the 2021 Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) International Championships in Skeet and Trap.
The Scholastic Clay Target Program has seen constant growth in Iowa and across the nation, with increases in participation seen in Iowa middle school and high school teams, which have grown from 1,400 athletes to more than 4,200 athletes since 2011. Collegiate Shooting Sports programs in Iowa have grown from four to 21 teams in the past five years.
“The Scholastic Clay Target Program provides many opportunities to Iowa’s shooting sports athletes. These Championship events in International Skeet and Trap allow the athletes to compete in the same event as the Olympics,” said Chris Van Gorp, shooting sports coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “Athletes that score well enough at the state championship events will receive an invitation to compete at the National Junior Olympic Championships.”
The all-day events will take place at two locations:
- May 22-23 - International Bunker Trap, AVAD Hunt Club, Coon Rapids
- May 29-30: International Skeet Championship, New Pioneer Gun Club, Waukee
“The SCTP is a youth development program, first and foremost and we do this through the shooting sports and competitive shooting. Its mission is to help kids reach their highest potential in becoming the best athletes and young adults they can be,” Van Gorp said.
Scholastic Clay Target Program offers student athletes from elementary through high school and college the opportunity to compete in sports such as trap, skeet, and sporting clays, as well as Olympic disciplines like bunker trap and international skeet. For more information on the Scholastic Clay Target Program in Iowa, contact Chris Van Gorp, DNR Shooting Sports Coordinator, at 515-313-8048 or chris.vangorp@dnr.iowa.gov.